Holocaust

ARTICLES ABOUT HOLOCAUST BY DATE - PAGE 2

One of the hallmarks of intelligence is the ability to keep an open mind when having a discussion with someone whose viewpoint is diametrically opposed to yours. However, while it is true there are at least two sides to every subject, it doesn't necessarily follow that each side deserves consideration. Often, the two sides are a right one and a wrong one. For example, during the 35 years that I taught a course dealing with the Holocaust, I regularly invited survivors of Nazi concentration camps to speak to my students about the horrors they had experienced in those unthinkable places.

When people meet Oscar-winning L.A. filmmaker James Moll, they often say, "You're a nice guy. You must have been born somewhere else." They're right -- Moll is a Lehigh Valley native, but just barely. Moll was born in Allentown and lived here for three months before his family moved to Los Angeles. But when Moll started his own production company in 1993, he recalled his Pennsylvania roots, however shallow, and named his company Allentown Productions. "It's a bit of a tongue-in-cheek jab at Los Angeles," Moll says.

Puppetry and live action tell the story of a 16-year-old Holocaust survivor in "Sofia's Drawings," a free performance by the Israeli company Galilee Multicultural Theatre tonight at Muhlenberg College in Allentown. The play is based on drawings made by a Jewish girl while she was hiding in Holland from the Nazis during World War II. The play uses a variety of visual techniques to tell the story of Sofia's life through her drawings. It is mostly visual, using hardly any words. Efrat Hadani, an actress, puppeteer and sculptress -- and Sofia's daughter -- acts in the play.

This week marks the annual National Days of Holocaust remembrance. Its observance is important in remembering the victims and educating future generations of Americans about the Holocaust. Every year the number of Holocaust survivors keeps dwindling; it is the responsibility of institutions like the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the public to ensure that victims and survivors are not forgotten. This year's theme also honors liberators of the concentration camps -- members of our armed forces who were the first witnesses of the horrors committed by the Nazis.

Local events for the Holocaust Remembrance Day include, a program at 7 p.m. today at the Jewish Community Center, 702 N. 22nd St, Allentown, featuring the Morning Call's David Venditta interviewing Donald Burdick, a WWII veteran who was among the liberators of the Dachau concentration camp; and a 4 p.m. program today at the Temple Covenant of Peace, 15th and Northampton Streets, Easton, featuring Severin Fayerman, of Reading, an Auschwitz survivor....

Kutztown University's DiversityFest Speakers Series hosts internationally known Holocaust survivor Eva Mozes Kor, who will speak at 7 p.m. Thursday in Schaeffer Auditorium. Kor, who survived the horrific medical experiments of Dr. Josef Mengele at the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland during World War II, will be speaking about her survival, liberation and healing -- the life lessons from Auschwitz. Kor is the founding director of CANDLES, Children of Auschwitz Nazi Deadly Lab Experiments Survivors at the Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Terre Haute, Ind. CANDLES' mission is to eliminate prejudice and hatred through education and the power of forgiveness.

KAITY IRVING Age: 16 Hometown: Coplay Profession: Student What I'm reading: "Night" by Elie Wiesel How is it? It's amazing You'll enjoy it if you like learning about the Holocaust Why I read: Because I enjoy learning about the Holocaust What I usually read: Non-fiction Favorite authors: Sharon Mills Draper Favorite book: "Forged By Fire" by Sharon Mills Draper Favorite local bookstore: Borders...

Severin Fayerman grew up in Poland and was interned at Auschwitz after the Nazis invaded his home country and took over his family's tool and die business. After the concentration camps were liberated, he and his family emigrated to the United States and bought a Newark, N.J.-based tool and die company. Now, to make good on a pledge he made to a friend's father who was on his way to the gas chambers that he would not let the world forget his death, Fayerman speaks to groups of students about the Holocaust.